#theaidoc — Public Fediverse posts

New #DissidentCognitif blog post. A hopefully-cohesive review/commentary on #TheAIdoc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist''

La version française arrivera bientôt. Je suis de bonne volonté, mais je suis un peu lente.

https://www.dissident-cognitif.com/

New #DissidentCognitif blog post. A hopefully-cohesive review/commentary on #TheAIdoc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist''

La version française arrivera bientôt. Je suis de bonne volonté, mais je suis un peu lente.

https://www.dissident-cognitif.com/

#TheAIdoc
"This will change the world in ways we don't understand."

Ultimately, us sitting here today, including me with all my opinions... This is the most important statement in this whole documentary. We don't and can't know. But a lot of what does happen is up to us; to exercise choice, no matter which side of the fence, cynical or enthusiastic, you fall on. Or even if you're straddling the fence.

Also I want to hear more from Connor Leahy.

#TheAIdoc
"This will change the world in ways we don't understand."

Ultimately, us sitting here today, including me with all my opinions... This is the most important statement in this whole documentary. We don't and can't know. But a lot of what does happen is up to us; to exercise choice, no matter which side of the fence, cynical or enthusiastic, you fall on. Or even if you're straddling the fence.

Also I want to hear more from Connor Leahy.

#TheAIdoc

David Harris "The shit's out of the horse, and the horse is going to keep shitting."

🤣 This is absolutely my new favorite metaphor. 🤣

Also, yes. It ends on The Choice, not The inevitability. 👏🏼

#TheAIdoc

David Harris "The shit's out of the horse, and the horse is going to keep shitting."

🤣 This is absolutely my new favorite metaphor. 🤣

Also, yes. It ends on The Choice, not The inevitability. 👏🏼

#TheAIdoc I love how the reasonable people set up the "these guys all think they're the good guys" scenario and then the three of five totally fall right into that.

The difference with Hassabis is that he is not actually one of the five. He is merely the guy who is the face of Google and could be replaced tomorrow with little interruption.

#TheAIdoc I love how the reasonable people set up the "these guys all think they're the good guys" scenario and then the three of five totally fall right into that.

The difference with Hassabis is that he is not actually one of the five. He is merely the guy who is the face of Google and could be replaced tomorrow with little interruption.

#TheAIdoc

It's amazing he got Dario and Altman (we already knew Hassabis was in it) to sit down for an interview.

Also, Daniel, of course Altman is not as excited or scared in the same way you are, he is a -fucking textbook-sociopath-!

God I want to smack Sam Altman. He and Zuckerberg are the same sort of sociopath robots.

#TheAIdoc

It's amazing he got Dario and Altman (we already knew Hassabis was in it) to sit down for an interview.

Also, Daniel, of course Altman is not as excited or scared in the same way you are, he is a -fucking textbook-sociopath-!

God I want to smack Sam Altman. He and Zuckerberg are the same sort of sociopath robots.

#TheAIdoc
I still have half an hour to go. I need to stop stopping.

We're in the geopolitical part now.

Or that old IBM chestnut "A computer can never be held accountable. Therefore, a computer must never make a management decision."

Especially if that management is of who lives and who dies.

Although, honestly, it's just as bad to have The Five (humans) make the decision.

#TheAIdoc
I still have half an hour to go. I need to stop stopping.

We're in the geopolitical part now.

Or that old IBM chestnut "A computer can never be held accountable. Therefore, a computer must never make a management decision."

Especially if that management is of who lives and who dies.

Although, honestly, it's just as bad to have The Five (humans) make the decision.

Sorry, all. #TheAIdoc is this

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist
https://youtu.be/WzuNsdRn2NI?is=MhvwSxJkRFnXoKk0

Sorry, all. #TheAIdoc is this

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist
https://youtu.be/WzuNsdRn2NI?is=MhvwSxJkRFnXoKk0

#TheAIdoc

Connor Leahy: "The worst possible scenario is that there's multiple AGI projects done by different people who don't like each other and are all competing to get to AGI first. This would be the worst possible thing that could happen. Because this would mean that whoever is the least safe, whoever sacrifices the most on safety to get ahead, that will be the person that gets there first."

Director: "That's basically what's happening right?"

"Yeah."

#TheAIdoc

Connor Leahy: "The worst possible scenario is that there's multiple AGI projects done by different people who don't like each other and are all competing to get to AGI first. This would be the worst possible thing that could happen. Because this would mean that whoever is the least safe, whoever sacrifices the most on safety to get ahead, that will be the person that gets there first."

Director: "That's basically what's happening right?"

"Yeah."

#TheAIdoc
My cynical take on the "let it rip" vs "lock it up" question is that we, the general public, will have absolutely no say in this decision. It will be made by the people who control the system. And who largely control our government through money and influence.

And they do not want to lock it up, despite what one or the other of the CEO will tell you every few months. That's just jockeying to be first in line by hobbling their competitor with slowdowns. When anthropic leapfrogged openai, suddenly anthropic was all about putting a lock on.

(Sorry, I don't know her name) "It's primarily profit maximization incentives..."

Yep. As always. Otherwise the might of all of these data centers would be tasked with solving things like hunger or climate change right now. But they are not, and they will not be.

Again, we are never our better angels. Ever.

#TheAIdoc
My cynical take on the "let it rip" vs "lock it up" question is that we, the general public, will have absolutely no say in this decision. It will be made by the people who control the system. And who largely control our government through money and influence.

And they do not want to lock it up, despite what one or the other of the CEO will tell you every few months. That's just jockeying to be first in line by hobbling their competitor with slowdowns. When anthropic leapfrogged openai, suddenly anthropic was all about putting a lock on.

(Sorry, I don't know her name) "It's primarily profit maximization incentives..."

Yep. As always. Otherwise the might of all of these data centers would be tasked with solving things like hunger or climate change right now. But they are not, and they will not be.

Again, we are never our better angels. Ever.

#TheAIdoc it's wild that we live in a world where the CEO of the RAND Corporation is one of the more mild voices for reason.

#TheAIdoc it's wild that we live in a world where the CEO of the RAND Corporation is one of the more mild voices for reason.

#TheAIdoc
I'm not done, mostly because I keep stopping to bloviate here 😁, but so far I highly recommend this, especially to anyone who's struggling with a lot of these concepts and hasn't been able to find a clear primer that is aimed at the lay user. I think it's very even in its presentation of the various sides and scenarios.

And again I urge you not to read my blog. 😛
https://www.dissident-cognitif.com

#TheAIdoc
I'm not done, mostly because I keep stopping to bloviate here 😁, but so far I highly recommend this, especially to anyone who's struggling with a lot of these concepts and hasn't been able to find a clear primer that is aimed at the lay user. I think it's very even in its presentation of the various sides and scenarios.

And again I urge you not to read my blog. 😛
https://www.dissident-cognitif.com

#TheAIdoc Deborah Raji understands who we really are as a species.

#TheAIdoc Deborah Raji understands who we really are as a species.

#TheAIdoc Yay! Its Deborah Raji!
I miss her after leaving insta.
We need more Deborah Rajis.

Also we're now into the "inevitability" portion of tonight's program. And I would like to reiterate that I firmly believe that this "inevitability" is actually a choice, a choice that you are being asked to ignore by the people who will benefit from you doing so.

#TheAIdoc Yay! Its Deborah Raji!
I miss her after leaving insta.
We need more Deborah Rajis.

Also we're now into the "inevitability" portion of tonight's program. And I would like to reiterate that I firmly believe that this "inevitability" is actually a choice, a choice that you are being asked to ignore by the people who will benefit from you doing so.

#TheAIdoc Not to toot my own horn, but "I urge you not to read my blog" which makes this same point in the paradox of automation. There is no plan, so we will settle on whichever outcome preserves the wealth inequality. Everyone will be equally poor except for the ultra wealthy. Elysium.

#TheAIdoc Not to toot my own horn, but "I urge you not to read my blog" which makes this same point in the paradox of automation. There is no plan, so we will settle on whichever outcome preserves the wealth inequality. Everyone will be equally poor except for the ultra wealthy. Elysium.

#TheAIdoc I need Guillaume to come talk me off this ledge.

#TheAIdoc I need Guillaume to come talk me off this ledge.

#TheAIdoc Ah "our better angels". Such a rarity in the world and almost never are the angels the ones in charge.

#TheAIdoc Ah "our better angels". Such a rarity in the world and almost never are the angels the ones in charge.

#TheAIdoc currently they're waxing on about the amazing things we could have, but we have some of those things right now. Solar power. But they are hobbled as always by the greed of the wealthy and the greedy. We are not, as a species, going to turn around tomorrow and stop being greedy.

I want to believe in the post-scarcity world, but I find it very hard while watching human beings be human beings.

#TheAIdoc currently they're waxing on about the amazing things we could have, but we have some of those things right now. Solar power. But they are hobbled as always by the greed of the wealthy and the greedy. We are not, as a species, going to turn around tomorrow and stop being greedy.

I want to believe in the post-scarcity world, but I find it very hard while watching human beings be human beings.

#TheAIdoc If history is any indicator, what we would end up with would be more like Elysium, where the super rich live off world with all the benefits of the highest technology, life-saving machines, and everyone else on Earth gets by as best they can. They still have access to amazing technologies, but they don't make their life better, they don't own them, it all just makes life better for the usual target: the wealthy.

#TheAIdoc If history is any indicator, what we would end up with would be more like Elysium, where the super rich live off world with all the benefits of the highest technology, life-saving machines, and everyone else on Earth gets by as best they can. They still have access to amazing technologies, but they don't make their life better, they don't own them, it all just makes life better for the usual target: the wealthy.

#TheAIdoc "Imagine a future where the poorest people on the planet have access to the best health care" - Diamandis

I like Diamandis, I do, but if this kind of altruism were real in humanity, then the richest country in the world would provide healthcare to its people now. And it does not.

We're back to Harris's "if we can rise to be the most mature version of ourselves" dilemma. Because as a species, we never have. Greed ultimately drives the human species. Full stop. And greed is incompatible with the most mature version of ourselves.

#TheAIdoc "Imagine a future where the poorest people on the planet have access to the best health care" - Diamandis

I like Diamandis, I do, but if this kind of altruism were real in humanity, then the richest country in the world would provide healthcare to its people now. And it does not.

We're back to Harris's "if we can rise to be the most mature version of ourselves" dilemma. Because as a species, we never have. Greed ultimately drives the human species. Full stop. And greed is incompatible with the most mature version of ourselves.

#TheAIdoc as always though, the optimism overlooks our general trend towards withholding good things from "others". Yes, as Diamandis days, digital tutors may be able to provide the best education ever for people who currently do not have access to it, but someone has to pay for that... And as anyone who follows Western politics knows, the rich (or let's just say anyone with a conservative leaning) don't want to pay for things for the poor.

If anyone doesn't believe that to be true, then tell me why in the age of the trillionaire are there still people dying of starvation or thirst in the world?

#TheAIdoc as always though, the optimism overlooks our general trend towards withholding good things from "others". Yes, as Diamandis days, digital tutors may be able to provide the best education ever for people who currently do not have access to it, but someone has to pay for that... And as anyone who follows Western politics knows, the rich (or let's just say anyone with a conservative leaning) don't want to pay for things for the poor.

If anyone doesn't believe that to be true, then tell me why in the age of the trillionaire are there still people dying of starvation or thirst in the world?

#TheAIdoc I'm glad they got Guillaume Verdon to be in this. His sense of true scale and grasp of the historical math, he's such a reasonable voice.

#TheAIdoc I'm glad they got Guillaume Verdon to be in this. His sense of true scale and grasp of the historical math, he's such a reasonable voice.

#TheAIdoc Jensen's face becomes more and more punchable every day.

Sorry, Amoedis, but sometimes I think that about you as well.

#TheAIdoc Jensen's face becomes more and more punchable every day.

Sorry, Amoedis, but sometimes I think that about you as well.

#TheAIdoc I feel the necessity to stop and explain my concern about a wet bulb event. My concern is grounded in the idea that we don't need AGI or Si to manifest for that to happen, we could do that to ourselves right now. We are doing that to ourselves right now. It just has not reached that critical juncture, but our societal/political denial of climate change is already leading us in that direction. Now tack on this current superscalar race to use up all the world's resources building multiples of gigawatt facilities... As famine, drought, loss of land and water, etc accelerates on a global scale mostly because of greed.

#TheAIdoc I feel the necessity to stop and explain my concern about a wet bulb event. My concern is grounded in the idea that we don't need AGI or Si to manifest for that to happen, we could do that to ourselves right now. We are doing that to ourselves right now. It just has not reached that critical juncture, but our societal/political denial of climate change is already leading us in that direction. Now tack on this current superscalar race to use up all the world's resources building multiples of gigawatt facilities... As famine, drought, loss of land and water, etc accelerates on a global scale mostly because of greed.

#TheAIdoc By the way, if you're reading along with this, I am not a p-doomer. My p-doom is a very conservative 15-20%. 25 on the worst day. (Although I do have some real concerns about a possible wet bulb event that could be construed to increase that number.) Otherwise I have some real doubts about the 'in this decade' notion.

Anyway, I am merely reacting to the director/writer of the doc as he hears from people who may be.

#TheAIdoc By the way, if you're reading along with this, I am not a p-doomer. My p-doom is a very conservative 15-20%. 25 on the worst day. (Although I do have some real concerns about a possible wet bulb event that could be construed to increase that number.) Otherwise I have some real doubts about the 'in this decade' notion.

Anyway, I am merely reacting to the director/writer of the doc as he hears from people who may be.

#TheAIdoc when Tristan Harris says "if we can rise to be the most mature version of ourselves" you can practically hear the guy's butt clench. We have never ever in the history of humanity done so.

#TheAIdoc when Tristan Harris says "if we can rise to be the most mature version of ourselves" you can practically hear the guy's butt clench. We have never ever in the history of humanity done so.

#TheAIdoc Eliezer has arrived. LOL Now we get to really see the directors palpable anxiety ramp up.

#TheAIdoc Eliezer has arrived. LOL Now we get to really see the directors palpable anxiety ramp up.

#TheAIdoc oh, excellent! Before Eliezer shows up, he talks to Yuval Noah Harari. Perfect. Hear me out. Regardless of what you think of his books, he has some very grounding thoughts on GenAI and how we will probably, as we usually do, fuck this all up.

#TheAIdoc oh, excellent! Before Eliezer shows up, he talks to Yuval Noah Harari. Perfect. Hear me out. Regardless of what you think of his books, he has some very grounding thoughts on GenAI and how we will probably, as we usually do, fuck this all up.

Watching #TheAIdoc. 23 minutes in and you can already see the director formulating the P-Doom concept in his head on his own from just listening as people explaining things like AGI and SI to him. I assume this is about the time that Eliezer shows up.

Edit: if you want to get to the tldr:
https://hachyderm.io/@tankgrrl/116780577416624639

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

Watching #TheAIdoc. 23 minutes in and you can already see the director formulating the P-Doom concept in his head on his own from just listening as people explaining things like AGI and SI to him. I assume this is about the time that Eliezer shows up.

Edit: if you want to get to the tldr:
https://hachyderm.io/@tankgrrl/116780577416624639

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

It's time. AI and social media are harming children. Our governments have the power to protect Canadian children. Do it. #thesocialdilemma #theaidoc #socialmedia #ai

It's time. AI and social media are harming children. Our governments have the power to protect Canadian children. Do it. #thesocialdilemma #theaidoc #socialmedia #ai

The AI Doc’s Falsehoods And False Balance

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/02/the-ai-docs-falsehoods-and-false-balance/